companies

AARP has always believed in the value of older workers, that they can be a genuine asset in the workplace. Now we have new evidence to back that up. In the wake of the Great Recession, we took a fresh look at data about hiring and retaining workers who are 50 and older. The AARP study, “A Business Case for Workers Age 50+,” which came out just last month, not only confirmed earlier research but also indicated that today the …

Older job seekers who were out of work at some point in the last five years found that tapping their network of contacts, reaching out to employers directly and starting their job search immediately rather than taking a break tended to be more successful in landing a job, according to a new report entitled “The Long Road Back: Struggling to Find Work After Unemployment,” by the AARP Public Policy Institute. Yet for many others, the study found that a substantial number …

News, discoveries and … fun 1. Some Japanese islands have more cats than people. (Learn more at The Atlantic) 2. The length of a man’s fingers might signal how nice he’ll be to women. (Learn more at AARP) 3. EGOT — a word for someone, like Whoopi Goldberg, who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — is in the Oxford Dictionaries Online. (Learn more at Time) 4. Stem cells from wisdom teeth can grow tissue that might lead …

ConocoPhillips Co. has the best 401(k) plan for workers, while Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Whole Foods Market Inc. offer some of the worst, according to a Bloomberg News survey of the 250 largest public companies in the country. In fact, ConocoPhillips’ plan is so generous – contributing 9 percent of workers’ pay if workers kick in 1 percent – that after 35 years an employee can end up a multimillionaire, Bloomberg said. According to the Houston-based oil and gas producer’s own …

AARP is holding a free virtual career fair on June 3 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET that can help put you in touch with companies that are hiring. Job search advice will also be available. The AARP Real Possibilities Virtual Career Fair will feature employers that have signed the Life Reimagined for Work pledge, which says they value experienced workers. Companies scheduled to participate include Abt Associates, AlliedBarton, American Red Cross, AT&T, BB&T Bank, Blue Buffalo Ltd., Coconino County (Ariz.), Elite Senior Home …

Remember when AOL announced recently that it would pay its 401(k) matching contributions to employees in a lump sum at the end of the year, rather than during each pay period, potentially costing employees’ retirement nest eggs thousands of dollars? If workers left in November, they’d lose out on nearly a year’s worth of company contributions. Those who stayed forfeited any gains made throughout the year. The tech company was forced to reverse its policy after an outcry by employees. (Criticism …